SETTING fires can have lethal consequences, but many young offenders simply don't see that their actions will have repercussions.

SETTING fires can have lethal consequences, but many young offenders simply don't see that their actions will have repercussions.

And so one group has set about re-educating them and has already been singled out for praise by the office of the deputy prime minister for their work with young fire-setters.

Robin Morris-Jones of The Cognitive Centre Foundation, based in Dinas Powys, near Cardiff, said for most people problem solving will come almost automatically as we whittle down what the problem is and the best options to deal with it.

However, for young offenders that process has to be broken down. "Evidence suggests that they can't think of alternative actions and so they act impulsively and quickly," he said.